


To Save A Princess... Or Each Other?

by Star_Crossed_Rafi



Category: Clingytwt - Fandom, DreamSMP, Sleepy Boys Inc., mcyt, sbi - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28237188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Crossed_Rafi/pseuds/Star_Crossed_Rafi
Summary: Loosely based on some events of the Dream SMPAfter Tubbo's execution, he asks Phil to give Tommy a potion that will cause him to forget all about Tubbo. Tubbo would then go off to work alongside Schlatt in order to keep the peace and hopefully protect Tommy from any further hardship. A single word is able to get Phil and the others to clock onto the bad situation they've let the boy stay in and now they have no choice but to let Tommy remember his best friend.
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit
Comments: 2
Kudos: 55





	To Save A Princess... Or Each Other?

**Author's Note:**

> Before we get into this, I first want to say none of these events are chronological since most of this takes place a few months after Tubbo's execution, Phil would not have been there but for the sake of this story, he was. I also need everyone to understand all of this is PLATONiC. I do not condone the shipping of anyone, especially not Tommy and Tubbo who are MINORS and UNCOMFORTABLE with being shipped together. Finally, the personalities of some characters (Mostly Schlatt) are absolutely not how they really are. Remember the Dream SMP is a roleplay storyline and this is fanfiction. Please do not take the personalities I've created for these characters to be the genuine personalities for the cc's.

Tommy isn’t the kind of guy you would turn to for a problem, that is unless it had something to do with women, his discs, or his family.

While Tommy may not be the kind of person you would say is ‘reliable’ he certainly has his redeeming qualities. He’s headstrong, sure, but he’s selfless, he’s loyal, he’s trusting and he’s a natural leader. There are a countless number of times he’s been the one leading an attack. He’s got a voice people will listen to, he stands out in a crowd. Tommy has a big heart, he cares about the people he works with and he gets attached quickly.

It was a regular day for Tommy, he wasn’t doing anything other than annoying the hell out of his oldest brother by building a very tall and disruptive tower. His whole family possessed some kind of unnatural ability. His oldest brother, Technoblade (they call him Techno for short), had a sort of immunity in combat. There is not a single match he’s fought where the outcome had him on the losing side. His second brother, Wilbur, could play any instrument given to him. And his father, Philza, had wings. That left Tommy since Tommy didn’t know his mother, that left Tommy. Tommy had to be the odd one out he didn’t really have something that was as cool as Techno, Wilbur, or Philza. He was resistant to fire and lava, sure, but when would that ever come in handy?

Tommy was just building his tower, it made him happy to complete them. Techno, or anyone for that matter, never liked them. They thought they were ugly. Tommy didn’t care though, well, he did. He cared an awful lot about what his family thought, especially about him. He had noticed before anyone else that his family spoke with a little bit of caution around him. Tommy was sensitive, he knew that… He knew he was emotional and he was brash and harsh. He knew he needed to remember not to take things so seriously but Tommy being sixteen had already fought in quite a few wars. He just wanted peace…

He was never done fighting however, it was always one thing after another and sometimes he was the source of the problem. It was just by chance that he had overheard the conversation between Techno and Philza.

“Phil, I’m telling you this could be a real problem,” Techno said.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Techno, everything will turn out okay. The bees will be fine” Phil said.

Bees? What the hell? Why would they be talking about bees of all things? Tommy listened in a little bit closer. He didn’t really care about the whole ‘it’s rude to eavesdrop’ bullshit.

“I’m not worried about the bees! Phil, the Emperor has been using the princess” Techno said.

Princess? If there was one thing that got Tommy’s head moving it was women.

“What do you mean… using?” Phil asked.

“I mean like manipulating, abusing, threatening, exploiting. We promised we’d protect the princess now look what’s happening” Techno said.

“Shit…”

Phil rarely cursed, which meant the matter must be pretty serious.

“Go get Wilbur… and Tommy, we’re gonna need them both. As much as I don’t want to drag Tommy into another battle we’re- we’re gonna need him” Phil said.

Tommy could feel himself slouch a little, great, another war… at least this time it’s for a woman.

Tommy moved swiftly out of the way of the door and down the stairs of the house. He took a seat on the couch and was a little startled by Wilbur popping up seemingly from nowhere.

Tommy often had to remind himself that his second brother was dead. After the latest war for L’Manberg Wilbur was killed by Philza. It wasn’t like Phil wanted to, but Wilbur had… he had gone crazy, but now Wilbur was… sorta back. As a ghost, but he was back.

Techno came down and gave Tommy the rundown of the situation. Tommy was able to fill in some blanks.

There is a princess  
The princess is being held captive by the emperor of the land  
She needs help  
Tommy is going to save the lady

Techno seemed oddly amused by something as Tommy spoke about the princess and asked a lot of questions.

“Have you met her?” Tommy asked.

“Who?” Technoblade asked.

“The princess dumbass!” Tommy said.

“Oh right, yeah a few times. The princess is a very kind person” Techno said.

“Huh… wonder if we would get along” Tommy pondered.

“Trust me, if you two met you’d be inseparable” Techno stated. He knew better than to think Tommy wouldn’t like ‘the princess’ just because of a few minor differences. The more Techno recalled the better the idea got. Tommy was more of an emotional thinker while ‘the princess’ tended to use logic. Tommy could be violent and hyper while ‘the princess’ preferred a more peaceful approach, or at least the princess tried to get a peaceful approach, too much repressed rage is bad.

Tommy sharpened his ax, readied his shield, and loaded arrows into his quiver, and made sure his bow was in good condition. He watched his second brother float around all giddy in his yellow sweater, black pants, and maroon hat. While Tommy adored watching his brother be happy again, he wished he could see this scene with an alive Wilbur. Wilbur in life wasn’t ever all that happy. All the best memories Tommy had with Alivebur seemed to be repressed or foggy…

“Tommy? Is something wrong?” Wilbur asked.

“Huh? Oh, sorry, everything’s fine” Tommy responded.

“I see! You were just spaced out, what were you thinking about?” Wilbur questioned.

“I was thinking about you” Tommy could never lie to Wilbur, not in life and not now. Wilbur frowned however and pulled out some clear orbs.

“Take some blue, calm yourself,” Wilbur said and the clear orbs filled up rapidly turning into an intense blue.

“Oh,” Wilbur muttered. Tommy closed the now blue orbs in his hand then threw them at a fence as hard as he could and they shattered. He felt better.

“It’s okay, come on big man” Tommy paused just for a moment as if remembering something.  
\- - -  
“Hiya!” The awkward voice of #*$(% rang through Tommy’s head as he giggled delicately.

“Yeah a lot of people do scream when I speak,” Tommy said.

“God you’re- you’re just such a huge man” $&%*$ said jokingly. Tommy laughed alongside him.

“I’m just such a huge man!” Tommy repeated, and they kept laughing thankful for the other’s presence.  
\- - -  
Tommy shook it off, he’s been having those lapses of consciousness for some time now since the end of the last war. At this point, he’s stopped worrying about it. Besides, it’s probably just something he made up in previous years he can’t recall. Whatever he’s seeing isn’t real.

“You two ready?” Of course, Phil and Techno took the longest to prepare.

“We’ve been ready, I don’t know what you two old men have been doing” Tommy retorted. Phil chuckled while Techno rolled his eyes.

Losing Wilbur was tough on everyone and the fact that he couldn’t recall a lot of his past stung. He couldn’t remember the bad things, things that made him sad now were soon forgotten in the span of five minutes.

Wilbur hummed a familiar tune, he was remembering some things. Taking the sadness out of the memories… soon it would reach a point where it would be too painful to hear him speak about the events of the past.

“...The brutality and the tyranny of their rulers… well this place is real you needn’t fret with Wilbur, Tommy, Tu-” Wilbur stopped rather suddenly and Tommy looked up to see a confused Wilbur looking at a slightly annoyed Techno.

“You remember that song?” Phil asked Wilbur.

“Of course I do! I wrote the verses, remember, Tommy?” Wilbur asked. Tommy looked to his second brother, his skin now unsaturated and his eyes were so blank yet so cheerful all the same.

“I remember,” Tommy said. The group kept walking, as they passed people waved. Niki, a close friend of Wilbur came up and handed the group a basket of baked goods.

“You all should be careful, okay? I want to see all of you come back safely” Niki said. Wilbur smiled brightly upon seeing Niki, the two were very close. Not romantically, they were just best friends. Tommy often wished he was close to someone like that. Out of everyone he’s met the best bond he has with anyone is Technoblade… still there was always something in the back of Tommy’s head that told him he should be angry with the pink-haired male.

“Of course Niki! We have Phil with us so there will be no problem!” Wilbur explained. Niki giggled at Wilbur though the sadness in her eyes was clear as day and Wilbur handed her the clear orbs he kept with him. The three orbs each turned into a soft blue, much lighter than the ones Tommy used before. Niki was getting used to Wilbur being a ghost and maybe she was happier that he didn’t remember everything. “Now crush the blue!” Wilbur instructed and Niki crushed the orbs beneath her shoe. She smiled and hugged Wilbur.

It was a miracle he could still be hugged.

They continued going and Fundy stopped them just on the edge of town. Fundy was Wilbur’s son. Of course, no one was sure where the fox genes came from, but Wilbur loved Fundy.

“Hello, Fundy!” Wilbur said excitedly.

“Hey, Wil,” Fundy said. Fundy never cared for Wilbur, especially after he went crazy. “Hey, Grandpa,” Fundy said to Phil. He simply nodded toward Techno and Tommy. Fundy had sort of taken over the presidential role after Wilbur alongside a good friend Quackity. However, with the construction of El Rapids Quackity had been neglecting his duties toward L’Manberg. Something told Tommy someone else was supposed to be in charge but Tommy couldn’t recall who.  
It didn’t matter.

“Phil, you think I can talk to you for a moment?” Fundy asked. Phil nodded.

Fundy and Phil walked around L’Manberg admiring how far the place had come after being blown up and terrorized.

“You think it’s a good idea to bring Tommy with you? He’s going to remember” Fundy said.

“When Tubbo told us to use that memory blocking potion we tried to convince him it would be fine but… Tubbo was always the logical thinker of the two. Tommy hated all of us when he woke up. Techno he hated the most, I mean, Techno did shoot Tubbo. It’s a miracle the boy survived” Phil said.

“Exactly. If Tommy sees Tubbo after all of this that hatred is just gonna come back it might destroy him” Fundy reasoned.

“I know my son,” Phil said. “I know how he functions and we all know he hasn’t been right… he hasn’t really been Tommy, he’s missing Tubbo. We all know it. He can’t remember his best friend we did that to him. It’s not fair.”

“It might not be fair but it’s safer that you don’t-”

“If anyone can make sure Tommy doesn’t self-destruct, it’s Tubbo. I’ve seen it, you’ve seen it, everyone in L’Manberg has seen it” Fundy sighed and lifted his hat to run a clawed hand through his fur.

“You’re right, sorry,” Fundy said. Phil ruffled the fur atop Fundy’s head.

“Don’t be sorry for being concerned about someone. You’re doing great, Fundy. I promise you’re gonna be the best president yet” Phil said.

“Thanks” Fundy stated.  
The two arrived back with the group to see Techno and Wilbur talking as well leaving Tommy by himself.

“Oh,” Fundy said.

“What is it?” Phil asked.

“I just remember whenever Wilbur was talking with other people and leaving Tommy on his own, Tubbo was always glued to his side… Tommy never was alone like that” Fundy recalled. Phil smiled sadly at his youngest son.

“We never should have sent Tubbo off… Now that boy is in more danger than he ever has been” Phil said.

“You’re using the code name, right?” Fundy asked.

“Princess” Phil couldn’t help but laugh a little bit. “It’s so stupid, but Tubbo knew what would get Tommy to go with if he ever needed help”

“How bad is the situation?” Fundy asked.

“Well, in Tubbo’s last letter all he sent was ‘Mockingbird’” Phil stated. Fundy’s eyes widened. ‘Mockingbird’ was the code word for ‘severely injured, might die’.

“You have to get going,” Fundy said. Phil nodded, he rounded up his sons and they waved their last goodbyes before leaving.

The four walked primarily in silence, none of them were ever really that talkative, well, Tommy used to be. The more Phil thought about how different Tommy was without his best friend the more he regretted his decision. He would lose Tommy after this, he understood that, but that was okay with him. He could remember how Tommy and Tubbo would run around in the fields or how Tubbo would often stop suddenly to admire the bees causing Tommy to tease him. Tubbo would always just giggle and keep running around with Tommy until they were exhausted.

The day emperor Schlatt tried to take over L’Manberg was one of the worst moments for Tommy and Tubbo. The day they were separated. Tubbo was in a bad position back then, forced to stay by Schlatt’s side. He’s still in that awful position. Schlatt wasn’t always a bad person, that’s what Wilbur would say to Tommy. 

“Schlatt’s only bad when he drinks. Tubbo will be fine” that’s what kept Tommy from leaving the haven of the ravine and going to find Tubbo. Then, finally, Tubbo was offered the chance to spy and as he spoke more and more about what was happening in L’Manberg Tommy seemed to realize Schlatt drank 90% of the time.

Phil could remember a conversation he heard between Tommy and Tubbo.

\- - -

“Tubbo, if he’s hurting you, then you have to tell me,” Tommy said.

“It’s not like that, Tommy. Trust me, it’s all good” 

“That sounds like a lie,” Tommy said. Tubbo had faltered unsure of how to continue.

“Sorry, you’re right,” Tubbo said. His expression softened as he looked at the taller blonde. Tommy, above all else, hated being powerless. “He… Schlatt is pretty bad, if I’m being honest” Tubbo said. Phil remembered being surprised Tubbo told him that. He remembered seeing the rage build in Tommy’s form.

“Wilbur’s such a fucking liar” Tommy muttered.

“Toms,” Tubbo said. The blonde looked at the smaller boy. “I’ll be just fine. No matter what happens, I’ll keep coming right back here to see you” Tubbo said.

“I love you, man,” Tommy said. Phil sighed a little then because Tommy had never told anyone he loved them. So hearing him say it to Tubbo made the next events that much harder.

It was just after Tubbo’s execution, the executioner being Techno. Tubbo had seemingly disappeared and Tommy was in shambles. He spent all of his energy looking for Tubbo and it was killing him.

“Phil” Tubbo spoke. Phil had turned to see the brunette and was ecstatic.

“Tubbo!”

“Phil” Tubbo spoke again. Phil realized his tone was grim.

“Tubbo, what’s wrong?” Phil asked he lowered his voice.

“I need- I need you to give this to Tommy,” he said handing him a light blue potion.

“What is this?” Phil asked.

“It’s a potion, it’ll make Tommy forget me” Tubbo explained.

“Why? Why do you want him to forget you?!” Phil asked. He was almost angry with the boy for wanting his son to forget his best friend.

“Because so long as he remembers me he’ll hate you, Wilbur and Techno… he’s going to get himself killed if he keeps searching for me in his condition,” Tubbo said.

“Tubbo, you’re his right-hand man,” Phil said and watched as Tubbo visibly flinched at those words. Phil had forgotten, Schlatt would call Tubbo his right-hand man all the time. “Tubbo, where do you plan on going?” Phil asked. Tubbo’s shoulders shook as he held back tears.

“Schlatt said if I go with him and cease all contact with you, Tommy, and the others then he won’t hurt you” Tubbo explained.

“Tubbo-”

“Please just give this to Tommy. The last thing I want is for him to die on my account… if he did I- I don’t know what I’d do” Tubbo said. Phil couldn’t push the boy any further. He had made up his mind. He was going to sacrifice himself for Tommy’s sake.

“Be safe” Phil said as he took the potion from Tubbo who quickly rubbed his eyes. The burns that covered his skin were reminiscent of the events of the past.

\- - -

“Hey, Phil,” Techno said. Phil blinked a few times returning back to what was happening right then.

“What is it Techno?” Phil asked.

“You think it’ll turn out okay? What if we get here and the bees are…” Techno trailed off. Phil was glad Techno remembered the other codeword for Tubbo. 

“I thought you said the bees didn’t matter?” Tommy asked.

“Huh?” Techno asked.

“Before we left I heard you talking to Phil. He brought up the bees and you said they didn’t matter” Tommy said. We were all so used to Tommy being a loudmouth we forgot that he could be genuinely stealthy.

“Tommy, eavesdropping is bad” Wilbur reminded.

“I don’t see why you guys are talking in code that’s all” We all shared a look. Tommy was way too smart. 

“What do you mean code?” Phil asked.

“It’s pretty obvious. I came with because of a princess but the more I hear you talk about it, the more I realize you don’t use pronouns. It wasn’t that hard to figure out, you’re all on edge too” Tommy was way too smart. They always seemed to forget that he was smart, after all the wars he’s been in they shouldn’t underestimate him like this…

“Tommy, the reason we can’t tell you what’s going on has to do with your past. We can’t say more than that” Techno said. Tommy hummed. He wasn’t happy with the answer, that was clear.

“It probably has something to do with that kid I keep seeing,” Tommy said. He looked at his family for confirmation.

“What kid?” Phil asked cautiously.

“I don’t know his name, but I keep seeing him. He’s shorter than me, brown messy hair and he seemed to talk to me a lot.. I probably made it up, right?” Tommy said these words almost like he was begging for this boy to be made up.

“Tommy… let’s just go,” Techno said. Tommy got even quieter from that point on.

The group kept walking before arriving at a portal. The black frame and flickering purple insides were enough to know where this trek was leading.

“As much as I don’t want to use this, it’s going to get the fastest results,” Phil said. Techno and Wilbur nodded while Tommy just walked right in. Tommy was always the first to enter because no matter what was thrown at him the Nether couldn’t hurt him. Everything was heat-related so all he had to do was stand there. The ghasts had given up on attacking him at some point.

Everyone else flooded in after Tommy gave the all-clear. Everyone noticed how Tommy’s mood was considerably worse. He didn’t like it when the others lied to him, he always looked to them for the answers and when they lied to him like this the hurt he felt was worse than anything he could remember experiencing. He wished his family would be honest with him about a lot of things. 

Tommy lead the way through the Nether it was tense and silent and no one was really speaking much. Tommy couldn’t get the thoughts of the brunette out of his head. He wanted to understand who this was and he wanted to know more about him but no matter how much he wanted to know he wasn’t going to get anywhere, not with this family.

“Tommy?” Phil spoke. Tommy looked up only to realize he’d sunk into a small pool of lava.

“My bad… I wasn’t paying attention” Tommy said.

“Tommy,” Techno said.

“Hm?” Tommy hummed.

“Once we get out of here, we’ll tell you what we know” Techno promised. Maybe he could get somewhere with this family.

So after a while of following the sounds of the Nether and tracking down the next portal they escaped back into the Overworld, Techno leads the way through the portal this time. 

It was dark when they all got through, they set up camp and each took a seat around the fire, Wilbur bounced around with a couple of sheep nearby.

“So, what the hell is going on?” Tommy asked.

“Just getting to the chase…” Phil sighed and lifted his bucket hat from his head, running a hand through his hair.

“Tommy, we just need to make sure you’re positive about this” Techno said.

“Why wouldn’t I be? What’s so horrible that you had to keep so much away from me that you can’t even speak the guy’s name!?” Tommy asked. His frustration was evident. Techno and Phil shared a look and Phil took the lead.

“His name… Tommy, I need you to think about Tubbo” Phil said. At first, it meant nothing to the young blonde but then it hit him like a minecart hits a certain green speedrunner.

Tubbo. Tubbo who always seemed so full of energy, Tubbo who was one of the first people to join the efforts for L’Manberg and Tubbo, who was Tommy’s best friend. Tubbo, who Tommy forgot about. Tubbo, who Techno shot and could have killed. Tubbo, who was so smart but could talk about the stupidest shit for hours. Tubbo, who was tactical and logical. Tubbo, who was good with Redstone. Tubbo, who kept Tommy level. Tubbo.

“Fuck…” Tommy whispered he ran a hand through his hair. 

“Tommy-” Technoblade reached out to Tommy but Tommy was quick to hit his hand away.

“Do not touch me, Technoblade” the pink-haired male backed off. “You shot Tubbo. You could have- wait… he isn’t…” for a moment Tommy resembled the boy from months ago. Phil looked at his youngest son sadly, looking as he desperately tried to grasp onto a memory of Tubbo from after the festival.

“We don’t know if Tubbo is alive, Tommy,” Phil said.

“You’ve been lying to me about him! For so long! My best friend… he- he just… what happened?!” Tommy asked his voice breaking as he held back tears. Phil had only seen Tommy like this once before, and that was the day Tommy woke up from the battle of the festival. So distraught, so lost, so scared… It hurt Phil to see him like that.

“Tommy, for you to understand, I need to tell you everything,” Phil said calmly and while it may have been reluctant, Tommy listened.

Phil explained everything to Tommy, the thing Tubbo had asked before he left, and also filled in the blanks in Tommy’s memory.

“So- so how is he now?” Tommy asked.

“The last thing Tubbo managed to send-”

“He still contacts you?” Tommy interrupted.

“Yeah. When he can, at most twice in one month. This is the first time he sent anything in the last two months, though” Phil explained. Tommy’s eyes were filled with so much anxiety. “The only thing he managed to send, was Mockingbird, code for life-threatening danger” Phil explained and watched Tommy’s expression sank.

“Shit… fuck. Dammit!” Tommy yelled and hit his fist to the ground.

Wilbur made his way over to Tommy and comforted the younger blonde.  
“Tommy, what’s the matter? Calm yourself, take some blue” The moment the five orbs Wilbur gifted made contact with Tommy’s hand they turned to such a deep blue it nearly appeared black.

Everyone fell silent.

Tommy crushed the orbs under his foot but his mood didn’t seem to improve.

“I can’t fucking believe you lied to me about this… for months!” Phil could only look away from the blue eyes that scorched into his own.

“Tommy… I’m sorry” Phil said.

“How about we all get some sleep. You’re all very sad, you should each take so blue. We should get rest and replenish our energy. You’re tired” Wilbur said handing three more orbs to Tommy who’s turned a little less blue than last time. Three orbs went to Techno and Phil as well, their orbs were also a deep blue, but barely blue at all in comparison to Tommy’s.

The four drifted to sleep under the stars the only noise filling the silence was the sound of the fire crackling.

When dawn broke, Tommy awoke first. He sat up seeing the rest of his family asleep. He noticed he was covered up with Techno’s cape which he shrugged off without a second thought. He clicked his tongue. He was angry, partially with himself. Mostly with his family… and maybe with Tubbo as well. He looked to Wilbur. His skin unsaturated and dull. He missed him. Tommy missed Wilbur, even though he may have gone crazy, that didn’t mean he wasn’t the best form of guidance Tommy had. Now Wilbur was only half of what he was. Half the experience, half the wisdom, and half of the emotions. Tommy turned from his family and kept moving forward. He would find Tubbo, he would find his best friend without the help of those who were bound to hurt him again.

\- -  
Tubbo felt useless, helpless, and maybe worthless too. He stared at the black ceiling of his room, well, maybe it was more of a cell. The place smelt of alcohol from the visit Schlatt made hours prior. He was bound to come again soon. In the meantime, Tubbo could gather his thoughts. Just like before, Schlatt had found out about Tubbo betraying him. He couldn’t forgive him this time, he couldn’t strike up another deal.

There was no festival or public announcement and there was no Technoblade this time. There wasn’t Tommy to witness what was happening either, thank god for that. The last thing Tubbo wanted was for Tommy to see him like this. Battered, bloody and bruised. Dazed and confused. Tommy would go on a rampage. Tubbo chuckled at the idea of his friend sputtering out all of these words that didn’t make sense together for the sake of Tubbo. It hurt his ribs to laugh like that. He let out a choked, mangled sob.

He missed Tommy.

He wished he hadn’t left the way he did. If he took his chances with another battle maybe it would have been the last one.

How many fights has Tommy seen without Tubbo? How many battles has he fought in and how many wars has he won? How many nights has Tubbo been plagued by nightmares he can’t forget and the only way he could have gotten through them soundly was with Tommy. He went away to give Tommy peace of mind. He went away so Tommy wouldn’t have to fight anymore.

Tommy had done so much for Tubbo, he was there when Tubbo was angry with Eret, taking the fall of ‘over-reacting’. Tommy was there when Dream threatened L’Manberg and Tommy was there that time Tubbo was kidnapped. If Tubbo wanted to do anything, he wanted to get Tommy out of constantly fighting battles for Tubbo’s sake.

Tommy deserved to rest.

It was Tubbo’s turn to be there for Tommy.  
Still, with the slightly dragging footsteps coming down the hall, Tubbo knew he’d be missing Tommy a lot more than he already was.

Why did he have to be such a missable person?

\- -

Tommy would have brought Wilbur, but Tommy didn’t want to risk it. If it began to rain Tommy wouldn’t know what to do. He’d panic, and he’d lose his brother.

Tommy couldn’t bear to lose anyone else.

He imagined the emperor's palace to look like a lot of things, a huge blackstone fortress with lava spewing into a moat was definitely one of them. 

Crossing the moat wasn’t a problem for Tommy. Swimming in lava is unsettling and slow, but his clothes are combined with netherite for no reason.

Scaling the large blackstone walls, that was tough. Tommy was, thankfully, excellent at making towers. He knew what he was doing when he towered up the wall. He drew his netherite ax, he was ready for whatever was going to be thrown at him. Still, he had to be cautious. So he drank one of the invisibility potions he had on him. He watched himself turn invisible and he splashed one on the ground so his weapons and clothes would also be invisible.

Tommy had made the mistake of not splashing a potion before and the outcome… wasn’t pretty. He recalled the memory a little better now, Dream had shot him and Tubbo was there to patch him up.

Tubbo had always been there.

Tommy huffed in annoyance, where would Schlatt keep Tubbo? He figured if the place was structured like a castle and Tubbo was a ‘princess’ per se, then he’d been in a tower. That’s where the villain keeps the princess in video games, right? Dungeons are overrated anyway…

Tommy snuck by those who guarded the place. He recognized some of them as people he’d fought before. Ponk, Punz, Alyssa, and Calahan. Tommy ignored them all and kept moving. He just needed to find Tubbo. He had a small timer on him, he had about five minutes before his potion effects wore off.

He let his instincts guide him. He maneuvered through rooms, but it was as if he had an internal compass that pointed Tommy in the right direction. Right to his Tubbo.

He made turns seemingly at random but he wasn’t moving in circles. When he heard a light commotion he sprinted toward not caring about how much noise he made and suddenly he could hear voices.

“Schlatt- Schlatt hold on- I- I promise I don’t know anything!” The stuttering hurt Tommy, he was able to recognize Tubbo’s voice, despite it had been so long. Just a minute of invisibility left.

“Tubbo, I know what you’ve been up to. You can’t lie to me, you’ve been sending messages! I have a spy in L’Manberg” Tommy disregarded the last statement for the time being.

“Schlatt I can explain-” Tubbo was cut off. Schlatt grabbed Tubbo by his brown messy hair and brought him close.

“You remember what I told you about that conch shell, Tubbo? You better remember, cause in a moment here I’m gonna bash your head in if you don’t shut up” Schlatt said. Tommy slipped into the room. Thirty seconds.

“Sorry…” Tubbo sounded so broken down it was tempting to stab Schlatt right then and there but Tommy wouldn’t be able to get Tubbo out of here safely.

“I’ll come back” Schlatt promised and he walked out of the room. Tommy held his breath as he heard the retreating footsteps that had a slight drag to them. How could he forget?

Then Tubbo shook, it was like a leaf in the wind. He didn’t cry, he didn’t cry and maybe that was what worried Tommy the most. Tommy released the breath he’d been holding and Tubbo jumped. He looked around the room. Five seconds. Tommy moved slowly to not freak Tubbo out too much.

His invisibility was up and he became visible and Tubbo’s eyes locked with Tommy’s and for a moment everything seemed to be at peace.

“Tommy…?” Tubbo asked.

“Yeah, big man… it’s me”

“You- you're here but you- I- I just-” Tommy didn’t care about anything at the moment, he just brought Tubbo into a tight hug and held his best friend close. He had forgotten what it felt like to hug Tubbo. Tubbo was shaking, and Tommy was shaking too and they soon started crying. Tommy wasn’t the type to cry, Tubbo normally tried to repress his emotions, but at that moment neither cared.

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” Tommy said. Tubbo let out choked sobs that he tried to muffle by nuzzling into Tommy’s shirt but Tommy could tell the shorter, but older boy was in pain. Tommy gently pushed Tubbo away.

“Where did he hurt you?” Tommy asked. Tubbo was wearing a suit identical to the one he wore to his execution. The execution Tommy could recall vividly now. 

Tubbo unbuttoned his dress shirt revealing the scar tissue from the firework that hit Tubbo’s chest as well as several bruises and poorly wrapped scrapes and gashes in his sides. Some of it looked self-inflicted…

Tommy had to stop himself from breaking down. He removed his bag and pulled out some bandages then had a thought.

“Have you eaten lately?” He asked. Tubbo seemed hesitant to answer as his eyes darted to the door. Tommy moved his hand to touch Tubbo’s face gently. “Tubbo, look at me” Tubbo did so. “You’re with me, big T. Schlatt isn’t here. It’s just you and me… have you eaten?” Tommy asked, his voice was so gentle if anyone else heard him they wouldn’t have guessed it to be Tommy.

“No… I-I haven’t” Tubbo said. Tommy just nodded, hiding the building rage he felt toward Schlatt. Tommy handed him some bread he had taken from the basket Niki gave the group before departing. Tubbo seemed too cautious but slowly managed to eat the bread with a smile he said,

“It tastes like Niki’s”

“It is Niki’s” Tommy confirmed and Tubbo’s smile only grew. 

“We’re gonna get you outta here, big man,” Tommy said.

“We?” Tubbo asked.

“I… originally came looking for you with Phil, Wilbur and- and Technoblade” Tubbo caught on to the way Tommy stuttered to get to Technoblade.

“Oh… Tommy” Tubbo started. “I don’t want you to hate your family,” Tubbo said.

“Is that why you made me forget about you?” Tommy asked. Tubbo nodded.

“Partially… but I wanted to protect you,” Tubbo said and Tommy looked at his friend in a moment of shock. “I knew if I stayed there’d be another battle on hand. Schlatt wasn’t happy. If I left and you still remembered me you’d spend so much energy searching for me all on your own… you’d get hurt and I- I didn’t want that” Tubbo explained Tommy pulled him into another tight hug. 

“I love you, man, don’t ever forget that. You don’t have to protect me! You already do so much just by being by my side!” Tommy said. Tubbo hugged the blonde back and then there was slow applause.

“I should have known the L’Manberg rat would find his way back to his Tubbo'' Schlatt stood in the doorway and Tommy glared sharply. Schlatt only chuckled. “It was foolish of you to come alone, but you never were much of a thinker, huh? TommyInnit?” Schlatt asked. Tommy’s glare didn’t falter. “Maybe you’ll turn out better than your brothers,” Schlatt said and he shut the door and the click of the lock could be heard. Tommy didn’t panic but Tubbo did.

Tubbo shook so much, more than Tommy had ever seen him shake before.

“Hey, hey, hey… Tubbo it’s okay… remember what I said? The others are coming… it’ll be okay” Tommy said.

Tommy finally tended to Tubbo’s injuries and Tubbo’s body must have exhausted itself from his injuries and how many tears he had shed. Tubbo cuddled up to Tommy, sitting between his legs, and soon relaxed as Tommy ran a hand through his hair. Tommy found himself thinking about what Tubbo said.

I don’t want you to hate your family

Tommy wouldn’t say he hated the others, definitely not Wilbur at least. He had forgiven Wilbur for causing so much damage, but Technoblade… he almost killed Tubbo. Tommy felt Tubbo stir just a bit. It was cold in this room, Tommy wondered how Tubbo would have stayed warm before.

Tommy held Tubbo closer, wanting to provide as much warmth for the injured boy as he could. The others were sure to arrive soon…

\- - -  
Phil awoke to Techno shaking him very suddenly.

“Techno, what is it?”

“Tommy’s gone,” Techno said. Phil was more than just awake now.

“What!?”

“He wasn’t here when I woke up, he must have gone off to get Tubbo himself,” Techno said.

“Where’s Wilbur?”

“He’s here. Just went to follow the footprints Tommy left” Techno said. Phil nodded. Speaking of the ghost, Wilbur bounded back from a beaten path.

“Tommy definitely went this way!” Wilbur said. Phil and Techno gathered their things and quickly followed the ghost. Tommy better be okay.

It didn’t take long to understand the route Tommy had taken. The lava moat was a sure sign that getting in wouldn’t be tough, the shaky tower up the side of the wall gave the group hope.

“Wilbur, you should go in and find Tommy and Tubbo. We’ll meet you inside” Phil directed.

“Okay!” Wilbur said and he hopped across the lava with no problem. 

Wilbur never was one to mind being by himself. As a ghost, he’s mastered a few things. Being able to hover a little bit, passing through walls and becoming intangible and tangible. His skill of becoming invisible was a work in progress so he settled for splashing an invisibility potion. Wilbur hoped Tommy had done the same before traversing the dangerous fortress.

Wilbur saw many faces he figured he should recognize but didn’t, figures that walked in a familiar manner and voices that spoke in familiar tones but nothing really clicked, not anymore. Wilbur just kept on moving from room to room and had searched the entire main floor and dungeons. If Tommy was here he wasn’t being kept in the usual place. So where was he?

Wilbur kept looking around but eventually became confused of where he had been and where he hadn’t been, who he’d seen and who he hadn’t seen. He felt himself become a little bit panicky, searching for his reckless younger brother, desperate to find some kind of trace and then-

Wilbur just kept on moving from room to room before he decided to think like Tommy. If he were Tommy, what would he think? Tommy always did like towers. So he searched the towers.

Wilbur poked his head into a door and found Tommy and Tubbo, both looking as if they’d been crying. Tubbo looked beaten and bruised. They were asleep. Wilbur had seen this scene before, just not in the same setting. Wilbur kneeled down, he wanted to wake his brother but something told him not to. Instead, he put his effort into making sure he could find his way back to the room. He left little marks on the walls and he was ecstatic to find Phil and Techno.

“Wil!” Phil called, his voice low.

“Hey, dad!” Wilbur said gleefully.

“Did you find Tommy?” Techno asked. Wilbur nodded.

“I did! He’s with Tubbo! They looked so cute, they were cuddled up with each other” Wilbur explained.

“That’s nice, Wilbur, but can you lead us to them?” Techno asked.

“Oh, sure! I think I remember the way back!” Wilbur said. He made a couple of wrong turns but the little marks he left on the walls caught his eyes and helped him remember where to go.

When the three arrived at the place Wilbur last saw the two, the sight they saw was Schlatt holding a bleeding Tommy by the collar of his shirt while Tubbo was trying to remain standing, using the wall beside him to keep him upright.

“Tommy!” Phil called and Tommy managed to look over, the left side of his face bleeding from a large gash on his forehead.

“About damn time, old man!” Tommy called.

“Maybe if you hadn’t run off” Techno muttered as he loaded his crossbow. Alyssa, Ponk, Punz, Sam, Calahan, and many more gathered into the corridor. Techno took the shot as Punz lunged at him causing Techno’s aim to skew and only got Schlatt in the arm. Still, Schlatt dropped Tommy who quickly went to Tubbo’s aid.

Tommy still had his things, for better or for worse. He handed Tubbo some armor to protect him and a sword. Tommy wielded his ax. This was gonna be quite the fight…

In such a tight spot it was unclear who really had the advantage. Tommy was more so focused on making sure Tubbo was doing alright. He got distracted and walked right into the lava Sam placed down though it didn’t do much, except annoy Tommy. The lava was removed by a swift maneuver Tubbo used with a bucket he had picked up at some point.

Tommy used the confusion of fire to his advantage and cut down Alyssa.

“Just killed a woman… feeling good” Tommy said which got a laugh out of Techno. Tommy and Techno stood back to back as the fight continued on.

Wilbur wasn’t really contributing to combat much, then again he was a ghost, and touching metal tended to hurt him. He sort of just… vibed.

Phil’s wings did wonders in combat, they were tough as steel and made for a good offensive and defensive advantage.

Still, Tommy and the others were outnumbered. Tubbo was in a tight spot against Punz and Tommy couldn’t get there to help him because of Ponk. Schlatt was fighting it out with Phil and Techno was dealing with Calahan and three others.

Then they heard the music…

At first, it might have been a sign of danger, but as it got closer it gave Tommy hope. It was the sort of stereotypical Mexican music one might hear in a documentary or even an old cartoon.

“Ey man!” Only one person would ever do something so incredibly witty and stupid. Quackity.

“Big Q!” Tommy and Tubbo called. Sure enough, Niki, Fundy, Quackity -dressed as Dream but with the Mexica flag colors- Sapnap, George, Dream, Eret, Puffy, Ranboo, Connor, and more… so many people, friends and foes alike had gathered to fight and Tommy wasn’t sure why.

“If you’re confused as to why some of us are here, the answer is simple” Eret began. Eret and Tommy hadn’t been on good terms since his betrayal. “You and Tubbo were never meant to be separated” Tommy wasn’t sure how he felt about the reference to Eret’s most infamous line, but it was a touching moment all the same.

“I just really wanna protect Tubbo,” Puffy said.

Tommy had to laugh at that, he was sure a lot of people were there for that reason. 

“Tommy, you’ve always been a good person, so how could I turn down the offer to fight with you?” Ranboo asked awkwardly. Tommy smiled. 

“Fuck yeah”

“Language!” He heard Bad say. Fighting ceased again.

“Bad?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah?” Badboyhalo asked.

“What the fuck is up Badboyhalo?!” Tommy asked excitedly.

“Language!” Bad said and Tommy laughed. He was glad they were all here.

Now that the balance was tipped in their favor, the tides would turn.

From that point, the opposing side was defeated and either killed in a final resort or taken hostage. That just left Schlatt.

“What say you, JSchlatt?” Phil asked.

“Fuck you” Schlatt stated. He smirked but his face fell as in an instant the man collapsed to his knees clutching his chest. He coughed a few times before wheezing, huffing, and puffing and finally ceased all movement.

“Did he just have a heart attack!?” Tubbo asked. Tommy exploded with laughter.

“We just beat a guy with heart problems! And it only took twenty of us!” Techno said and Tommy laughed even harder getting everyone to laugh along with him.

The group headed back to L’Manberg as everyone felt a little more united after fighting together like that. Those remaining from Schlatt’s side were to have a fair and just trial. Fundy explained how he doubted anyone would be sent away for treason considering no one on Schlatt’s side had any direct allegiance to L’Manberg.

In the end, there was only one thing bugging Tommy.

Who was the traitor in L’Manberg?

Tommy headed out that night as everyone celebrated in the newly expanded white house. Tubbo was resting in his own home as Niki watched over him. Tommy planned on paying him a visit. He noticed someone on the docks.

“Hey” Tommy spoke and Fundy turned around.

“Hey, Tommy,” he said.

“Hey, man… whatcha’ doin’ out here?” Tommy asked.

“I was just thinking…” Fundy muttered.

“‘Bout what?” Tommy asked as he sat on the rail of the dock.

“Nothing in particular, ya know? Just thinking…” Tommy hummed and the two were in silence for a bit. “Tubbo built these docks,” Fundy reminded.

“I do remember that now…” Tommy said he gave a sad smile to the open waters.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t want you to remember Tubbo at first,” Fundy said.

“Why the hell not?!” Tommy asked.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it” Fundy soothed. “I just didn’t want that sudden anger to destroy you, that’s all,” Fundy said.

“Oh… thanks” Fundy grinned at the blonde.

“You know, I’m getting adopted” Fundy stated.

“Really?”

“Yeah, by Eret,” Fundy said. Tommy hit Fundy’s back.

“Good for you, man”

“You’re… not mad?” Fundy asked.

“No… while I may not be ready to forgive Eret as soon as today… after what he did for Tubbo and me today it… it helped”

“That’s good. You’re sorta my test run for telling Wil” Fundy said.

“Don’t sweat it, man… Wilbur’s always been a little unreasonable… it’ll just take him some time” Tommy said.

“Thanks, Tommy. I’m gonna get back to the others. You gonna go visit Tubbo?” Fundy asked.

“In a bit, yeah,” Tommy said and Fundy headed back inside. Tommy looked back to the way the stars reflected on the water and smiled softly.

He felt a sharp pain slide across his back. He grunted and fell to the ground.

“Sorry, Tommy… but Eret was right, it was never meant to be” Tommy recognized that voice.

“Dammit, Karl” Tommy muttered. Karl always was a little too flexible for Tommy’s liking.

\- - -

Tubbo had been waiting for Niki to fall asleep. He wanted to walk around L’Manberg and see what Fundy had done with the place. He hadn’t ever gotten the best look at it. He liked the way everything was looking. His docks were intact which was surprising considering all the damage that had been done. Still, Tubbo was glad.

The country had been built back up on stilts and damn, was it pretty… From what Niki had told him, Wilbur made the Chinese Lanterns. They illuminated the area nicely. Everything seemed so peaceful, but the air was so tense. Tubbo didn’t really know why until he heard a noise. He turned and noticed on the furthest pier of the docks a figure running off. Tubbo didn’t have time to worry about them, he gravitated toward the sound.

Tommy.

Tommy was lying on the edge of the dock bleeding out. It was never over was it?

“Tommy!” Tubbo yelled out and got down to his knees to stop the bleeding as best as he could. He screamed for help, for anyone to hear him and he was thankful someone did. Phil and Techno were the first, then Wilbur and finally Fundy and Quackity.

“What happened!?” Phil asked.

“I- I don’t know! There- there was someone and- I just- I came looking for- he was-” Tubbo felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see a barely conscious Tommy leaning against Phil.

“Calm down…” Tommy said. Tommy took a deep breath and turned to Phil. “Schlatt he- he mentioned a traitor before… it’s Karl” Tommy said. Phil nodded. He handed Tommy to Techno. Fundy and Quackity went back to the Whitehouse to keep everyone calm while Techno, Wilbur, and Tubbo went to Niki. Fundy joining them later to help care for the injured blonde.

“Guess we’re both pretty beat up, huh?” Tommy asked. Tubbo, though he had tears in his eyes, managed a laugh, and smiled at his best friend.

“Yeah, yeah we are” Tommy smiled with a light chuckle.

“Love you, big man” Tommy said.

“Love you too, Toms,” Tubbo said.

An hour later Philza came back looking tired, he sounded out of breath too. 

“Phil?” Techno asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. How’s Tommy?” Phil asked.

“He’s gonna be just fine. The cut wasn’t at all that deep and Tubbo found him fast” Niki said. Phil nodded.

“What’s the deal with the Karl situation?” Fundy asked.

“We won’t have to worry about Karl, I’ve put him somewhere that will take him years to find his way back here,” Phil said.

“Isn’t that a little harsh?” Quackity asked. Quackity had arrived a few minutes before Phil.

“He hurt my son,” Phil said.

“That’s fair” Quackity decided.

“You should all get some rest. It’s been… an eventful day to say the least” Niki said. 

“She’s right” Techno decided. They all left leaving Niki in the room with Tommy and a sleeping Tubbo at his side.

“I think it was meant to be,” Niki said with a sweet smile toward the two boys that fate had tried to separate and failed.


End file.
